Sunday, June 7, 2009

Apple Garde

I have to confess...I'm not the greatest at taking care of my stuff. I'm trying to be more careful but simply put, I'm a klutz! In an attempt to be a better owner of shoes and handbags, I bought the Apple Garde Cleaning Kit and Stain Repellent but leave it to me to not even bother using the products until a few months later :P However, the important thing is the fact that I finally treated my suede and exotics this weekend.


The cleaning kit comes with the Apple Garde leather cleaner and conditioner, plus a cleaning cloth. I tested the cleaner out on my old Dior wallet and it didn't work any wonders. Its not for use on naked or exotic leather and is probably best for spot-treatments. I would still recommend you seek professional help when it comes to the heavy-duty jobs. I used the conditioner on my python shoes and purse. I've read that its recommended to condition your exotics before and after each use. I probably wont have the time or patience to adhere to that rule every time but I definitely recommend all exotics owners to get conditioner. I used the cleaning cloth and carefully wiped over each scale. Time-consuming but the end result? My python scales turned buttery soft and it even took the curling out of most of the curled scales!! If you haven't used your exotics in awhile, its still a good idea to condition just as a form of maintenance.



The Rain and Stain Repellent is recommended for ALL leather, suede, and exotics. You should technically spray everything before use but again, I'm a bit lazy so I only treated my suede shoes. I was also a bit hesitant to use this on my exotics since I didn't want to risk drying the scales out. I recommend leaving the treated products by a window or screen door since the smell is pretty strong. For the first treatment, you're suppose to repeat after 30 mins; after use, treat periodically.

Since I only started using these products this weekend, I can't really say how well they work (cept the conditioner) but I'll keep you updated :)

4 comments:

Pennerad said...

hi there:
found you googling 'stretching shoes', lol. about to buy a pair of pour la victoires, and apparently they sometimes run uber small/narrow.

anyway, that second one ruined about 2 pairs of my boots. one a pair of pollini western/cowboy style. dried out the leather and made it look old and crappy. wound up selling them on ebay b/c i couldn't stand it anymore (such gorgeous boots too :-(). just a heads up: try to spot clean your items b4 you use it on the whole thing. i just sprayed it on lightly and tried to wipe it down. BIIIIG REGRET!!

best of luck with your protectant hunt/trials.

Heather said...

I used the suede rain/stain repellent on my CL pink suede ron rons and the color was fine. I haven't worn them out yet so I don't know if the stuff actually works.

So which thing do I buy for exotics? I have python and alligator watch straps that could use some conditioning.

Purse Addict said...

Hi pennerad: good to hear I'm so google-able...HAHA :P Anyhow, I'm glad I didn't spray the repellent on my leather and exotics...it seems to work best with suede.

Hey Heather :) LOVE the suede Ron Rons! My friend splashed a teeny bit of water on my suede NPs this morning and it didn't stain so I guess thats a good sign. For your exotics, def get the leather conditioner and wipe over carefully with cloth.

Jess said...

Hi just wondering whether you're still using these products as I'm thinking of getting them for my chanel bags. If not, do you have other recommendations? TIA!